Ed's Morning Routine
by DieAstra
Summary: How is Ed starting into a new day at the "Orville"? Inspired by the speech by Navy Seal Admiral William H. McRaven at The University of Texas at Austin, May 17, 2014 (link at the end)


**Ed's Morning Routine**

Ed loved the early mornings on the ship. Usually he was awake before his alarm sounded off and he savored the time before it did to just lie there, thinking about the day that lied ahead. The space to charter. The planets to explore. You never knew what the new day would bring, and it was exciting and scary at the same time.

Would his ship end up in danger today? Would he have to make life and death decisions? Would he lose someone of his crew today? Those were frightening thoughts but with Kelly at his side he knew they would tackle everything that was thrown at them the best way they could. She had his back.

When he finally got out of bed he immediately dropped down to polish off twenty quick pushups and another twenty crunches, just to get the blood pumping.

He always finished off his showers with a bit of cold water. That was something his grandfather had taught him when he was visiting him during summer holidays. Ed's father always had been a busy man and barely home, but Grandfather John taught him everything a boy needed to know, and he loved him for that.

He had been devastated when his grandfather died but every morning shower reminded Ed of him and it made him smile. It also made him wide awake even before the first coffee.

After getting dressed he made his bed. He had never liked this task when he was young and his mother had to constantly nag him about it. Everything changed at Union Point. Not only did they teach him how a proper bed was made, with sharp enough corners you could cut yourself on. They also one day showed a several hundred years old very inspiring speech by Navy Seal Admiral William H. McRaven at The University of Texas at Austin.

"_If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can't do the little things right, you'll never be able to do the big things right. And if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made. That you made. And a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better."  
_

So now Ed loved making his bed. Giving his full attention on folding the blankets and plumping the pillows and setting them the correct way. He did not allow any other thought to enter his brain than how to complete this one little task the best way he could. It was almost meditating. After that, he would be able to tackle the day properly.

Of course there had been a time when he didn't make his bed. When he was not even able to get out of bed some mornings. When he was drinking so heavily that he didn't know anymore whether it was day or night. If it hadn't been for Gordon he honestly didn't know where he would have ended up. Certainly not as the Captain of a Union ship. Good old Gordon who dragged him out of bed and put him under the shower. It sure couldn't have been an easy task for him to handle an unwilling Ed who was taller than himself but Gordon was tenacious and determined and that gave him strength. They also had long talks during the nights when Ed wasn't as plastered. Gordon didn't mince his words and it was exactly what Ed needed to work through his issues. But during all this time Gordon never let on how much _he_ suffered, how much it hurt him seeing his best friend like that. That was something Ed had only found out much later.

He would probably never be able to thank Gordon properly but he hoped that one day he would be able to repay his dept and be there for him when he needed him most.

After making his bed Ed sat down at his little table for breakfast. In the beginning he had tried to take breakfast in the mess hall but it never took long for someone to find him even in the furthest corner and he found he wasn't able to handle the constant questions and pressure so early in the morning before his first coffee. So now he ate breakfast in the solitude of his own home while reading the Union news on his pad.

It was a way to stay in touch with what happened in the universe. As much good as the „Orville" did, they were just a small piece in a bigger puzzle. All those ships out there in all quadrants of the universe. Some of them had captains that were friends Ed had graduated with, or that he knew as teachers.

Sometimes he had to mourn the loss of someone he knew, and he was glad he could do that in privacy before facing his crew.

Sometimes Kelly joined him for breakfast and he enjoyed the company, even if they usually ended up talking work. What else was there to talk about once she had made it clear that nothing was going to happen between them any time soon. She still made a point of eating crunching cereals but he found that he wasn't as bothered by it anymore as he used to be. Funny how things were put into perspective after some of the stuff they had been through together. He wouldn't want to miss their close bond for the world.

Finishing his breakfast Ed put the plates away and after a last look around his quarters he left for the bridge. The moment he stepped through the door he ceased to be Ed and became the Captain. He straightened himself a little more, and he walked with a brisker pace.

He was confident.

He was ready.

The End

Speech by Navy Seal Admiral William H. McRaven at The University of Texas at Austin, May 17, 2014

The bit about the bed:  
watch?v=3sK3wJAxGfs

Whole speech:

watch?v=pxBQLFLei70


End file.
